Members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a group within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), used artificial intelligence to inform policy decisions, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Democracy Forward. The agency has withheld more than 100 documents related to its AI use, citing exemptions such as deliberative process privilege and presidential communications. The withheld documents suggest AI tools were used to guide policy decisions, though the exact role of AI remains unclear. Source: wired
Christopher Sweet, a former University of Chicago student, joined the DOGE team at HUD and focused on using AI to identify agency rules for potential rescission. Other HUD employees described the effort as redundant, while some were involved in providing feedback on regulations flagged by the AI for rescission. Scott Langmack, another DOGE member, is now the executive director of deregulation AI at the Office of Management and Budget. Source: wired
HUD’s FOIA office denied requests for documents labeled as “deliberative AI input” and “regulatory analysis,” arguing they fall under deliberative process privilege. Legal experts say this raises concerns about transparency, as AI tools can hallucinate, show bias, or produce errors. Currently, there are no U.S. laws requiring the government to disclose AI use in policymaking. Source: wired
